By V.S. Karnic, IANS
Bangalore : The Twenty20 cricket world championship in South Africa has spurred Karnataka’s political leaders, media and common man to liberally use cricket terminology to analyse, foretell and pronounce verdict on the power sharing arrangement between the state’s ruling partners – the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Next week’s local body polls — in which over 9.3 million voters will cast their votes – is being billed as a knockout semi-final ahead of the scheduled transfer of the chief minister’s post from the JD-S TO the BJP on Oct 3.
The JD-S and the BJP came to power in February 2006 agreeing to hold the chief minister’s post for 20 months each. H.D. Kumaraswamy of the JD-S completes his 20-month innings on Oct 2.
Deputy Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa of the BJP is anxiously waiting for his turn at the crease. But the fear is that Kumaraswamy may refuse to walk when given out. His party may even walk out of the game, which will necessitate fresh assembly elections.
Opposition Congress leaders have termed the Sep 28 poll to 208 urban local bodies as the ‘semi-final’ as they expect the power-sharing agreement to collapse and elections to the state assembly to follow soon.
The BJP is suspicious that the JD-S may ditch it but is putting up a brave public front. Its leaders say in next week’s poll voters will deliver a ‘knock-out punch’ to the Congress.
The JD-S, though, has not taken to cricket terminology as its leaders are busy sending out conflicting signals on whether Kumaraswamy will indeed make way for Yediyurappa as agreed.
The man on the street expects the power play to turn nasty as time for the BJP innings nears.
“The BJP is in for a bouncer from the JD-S on Oct 2,” says S. Purushottam, an official in the state secretariat.
“The match (power-sharing agreement) will be called off after 20 overs citing bad omen,” chuckles K. Vasudha, a doctor and cricket enthusiast working at a private hospital.
“The BJP will find themselves chokers as the JD-S will spin tales to deny them batting,” says S. Ramkumar, a freelance photojournalist.
The Congress is also coming in for criticism from the people ahead of the poll.
“The Congress is a bad loser and worse learner,” says M. Girijadevi, a retired lecturer of political science, commenting on the now-on, now-off efforts of the party to re-forge an alliance with the JD-S.
The Congress tied up with the JD-S to form a coalition government after it lost the majority in the 2004 general election to the assembly.
Kumaraswamy of the JD-S brought down that coalition in February 2006 by forming an alliance with the BJP.
“The Congress in Karnataka is like some Indian batsmen. It dithers, unable to decide whether to go for a shot or play defensive,” says a sports journalist who did not want to be identified.
“Like cricket is an unpredictable game till the last ball is bowled or last batsman is back in the pavilion, the Twenty20 JD-S-BJP agreement will also play out till Oct 2.
“The bowl-out rule may come into play in Karnataka politics too,” he adds, referring to reports that the JD-S has offered plum portfolios like Home, Public Works Department, and Energy to the BJP in return for giving up claims on the chief minister’s chair.
The 9.3 million people who will vote in the urban local body poll on Sep 28 may play a crucial role on which way the JD-S-BJP Twenty20 will end.
If the BJP fares badly, it may have to give up the ambition of having its first chief minister in the southern state.
If it wins, then too the BJP may face hurdles as the JD-S will think of calling off the alliance, claiming that getting close to the ‘communal party’ has hurt its ‘secular’ credentials leading to poor show in the polls, says the retired political science lecturer.
Campaigning in the 208 civic bodies’ elections picked up momentum Friday as Thursday was the last day for withdrawal of nominations.
Polling is being held to elect representatives to 4,998 seats for which over 20,000 candidates are in the field.
Over 10,000 polling stations are being set up. The state election office has classified 3,670 stations as sensitive and 3,979 as hypersensitive.
According to an official spokesperson, 10,163 presiding officers and 50,815 polling officers will be conducting the elections.